LG Amend Bill to be tabled in PA on 15th

KARACHI - The Local Government system dissolution bill will be tabled on Monday in the Sindh Assembly although the reservations of both the coalition partners in the Sindh government, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) could not be removed about the amendment on local government system. The bill about the local government system consisting of dissolution of present system, appointment of non-partisan administrators, parties based election and election within 120 days. This was decided in hours long meeting of the Core-Committee of the MQM and the PPP held at Governors House on the other night. Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik especially attended the meeting of the core committee on the directives of President Asif Zardari to reach a consensus on the fate of the local government. During the meeting it was also decided that both the parties, in future would resolve all issues through dialogues. Sources, privy to the meeting, told TheNation that though both the coalition parties had reached a consensus on few issues of the dissolution of present system and party based election but they had failed to evolve a general consensus about the amendments in the local government system. As the MQM wants the continuation of present local government system and amendments in SLGO 2001 but the ruling PPP and others parties want the revival of local government system of 1979 in the Sindh province. The meeting exclusively mulled over the complexities of Local Bodies system in Sindh. The PPP-MQM Committee reached consensus on several issues relating to Local Bodies Bill. Farooq Sattar, Dr Sagir Ahmed, Wasim Aftab, and Raza Haroon represented the MQM. However, Sindh Senior Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, Ayaz Soomro and others present the PPP in the meeting. Sindh Senior Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, while talking to the journalists, informed that the dissolution of the LG system, appointment of administrators, and election within 120 days on party basis would be tabled in the Sindh Assembly session. He said that law of new system would be drafted with the consensus of all stakeholders, saying that the Sindh Chief Minister would take a final decision about the fate of local government system. MQM deputy parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Faisal Sabzwari said that the bill on local government system would table on the Monday in the assembly. He said that both the allied parties would solve all the issues through negotiation. Provincial Minister for Local Bodies Agha Siraj Durrani said that the amended local bodies (LB) bill would be tabled in the Sindh Assembly on Monday. Talking to media after hearing in accountability court here, the provincial minister said talks on Local Bodies between the Chief Minister and the Governor have progressed. He also welcomed President Asif Zardaris decision to confer the Local Government system powers to the provinces.

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